A Desperate Heart in Half
by Little Miss Thinker
Summary: For Gabriel Agreste, love and hope were maybe the two greatest inventions of them all.


**Disclaimer** : I do not own Miraculous!

 **Author's Note (A/N):** This is for the Quote Challenge on the Miraculous Amino App. I received the quote: "Love and hope are the two greatest inventions!"

 **Summary** : For Gabriel Agreste, love and hope were maybe the two greatest inventions of them all.

 **A Desperate Heart in Half**

.

When Gabriel Agreste awoke that morning, he knew something was instantly wrong. Perhaps it was because he had a meticulous need to be on top of everything. He _was_ running a multi-million dollar fashion label after all, and could never afford any casualties or unforeseen mishaps.

But that wasn't what was wrong.

He turned his head on his pillow and brushed his hand across the cold empty space next to him.

"Emilie?" He called out, sitting up slowly from the bed and looked around the large empty room.

No answer came.

It would take Gabriel approximately 45 hours and 52 minutes for him to realize he wouldn't get an answer for the next three years.

. . .

Love was a strange invention.

That was what Gabriel concluded after shifting through the documents and reports provided by the Parisian police department for the hundredth time, all saying the same damn thing.

 _Desperate_.

That was what he was becoming. How many times did he have to read the same report over and over again before the words finally changed?

 _Missing._

 _No traces._

 _Vanished._

 _Closed case._

"Father?"

Gabriel glanced at his closed office door. His son. He sighed loudly before closing his eyes, taking his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. When _was_ the last time he saw his son again?

"Father, I-I'm coming in."

He decided not to respond back, hearing the loud creak of his door opening anyway. Soft footsteps echoed through the dark room, and Gabriel couldn't help himself but wince at each step his son took. Was it yesterday he last saw his son? No...A week ago? Maybe.

"Father, you've been up straight for the past three days. You need sleep." A pair of gentle hands broke his thoughts as they placed themselves upon his.

Gabriel had indeed felt his exhaustion sink in earlier that day, but he couldn't waste any time. He needed to keep searching. He needed to find her. He pinched the bridge of his nose to wake himself up a bit before placing his glasses back on, glancing up to respond back to his son.

Her emerald green eyes stared back.

Heat instantly consumed him. He glared down at the hand on top of his and pushed them aside, leaving nothing but a loss of familial warmth. "I don't have time for your rather useless comments, Adrien. Go back to your room and finish your studies. Nathalie will notify you later tonight regarding your schedule for this week."

"F-Father?"

Gabriel stared down at the reports once more, and ignored his son's quivering voice. "Go, Adrien. Don't make me repeat myself," he demanded, not daring to look back up.

 _Her eyes. Don't look at me with her eyes._

He waited until he heard the door to his office lock shut before staring longingly at the closed door.

He turned back down to his desk and picked up a small frame. He brushed his fingers across the picture as his light blue eyes filled with tears.

"Oh Emilie…"

Love was indeed a strange invention. One that always hurt the most, even when it wasn't trying.

. . .

Hope was an even stranger invention.

Gabriel Agreste concluded as he stood wide-eyed at the strange purple creature floating in front of him.

"W-What are you?" He asked hesitantly, holding tightly onto the large butterfly pendant in his hand.

The creature smiled and bowed its head. "Hello Master. My name is Nooroo and I am a kwami," it said in a rather high squeaky voice.

Kwami?

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "What's a kwami?"

Nooroo flapped its wings once. "A kwami is a special being that grants powers to those who hold the miraculous." It gestured to the pendant. "My miraculous is the butterfly pendant you hold in your hand. I grant you the power to create champions."

"Champions?" Gabriel's brow rose.

The creature nodded. "Yes. It allows you to transmit power into other beings who you then will lead for the greater good of humanity."

His eyes widened. "P-power?" He blinked twice as he stared at the pendant in his hand once more. "I must be sleep deprived. I'm dreaming," Gabriel finally uttered, muttering small nonsense underneath his breath.

He should never had cleaned out his wife's stuff. How was he to know the black and red jewelry box he found in a dusty old box would contain _this_?

"Oh, you are most definitely not dreaming Gabriel Agreste."

His eyes shot open and he turned to it. "How do you know my name?"

Nooroo hovered over him and tilted his head to the side. "You are my Master. And I have always known about you. I have waited for the day you would open up my miraculous box."

"M-miraculous?"

This was all too much for Gabriel to handle. He was a rational man. He never once believed in a higher power, or even fairy tale myths for that matter. Why would he? He had more important things to focus on in his life. Like reality.

Fantasy was more of his wife's forte. She was the one who had created the magic in their now meaningless household. The stories she told to their son every night of small pixies and fairies who grant powers to help humankind, now seemed achingly similar to the creature he was staring at.

"All will be explained Master," Nooroo continued. It flew down and gestured to the box he had found the pendant in. "Please look through this box. And maybe you will find all the answers to your never ending list of questions."

So Gabriel did.

In it, he found pictures of his wife, young and happy. Smiling in a temple, surrounded by hundreds of monks. Laughing with large green mountains in the background. Posing in a long blue peacock-like dress.

His eyes widened, his fingers tracing her beautiful features.

"Emilie was a wonderful chosen for young Duusu."

Gabriel looked up at the kwami, who's lavender eyes were brimmed with unshed tears. "D-Duusu?"

"Yes. If my miraculous is the butterfly pendant, hers is the peacock brooch."

Gabriel looked back at the picture. "S-so Emilie was…" He didn't dare utter it aloud.

"Yes. She was a rather beautiful miraculous user."

He closed his eyes, letting the photo fall slowly back into the box.

Too much. This was all too much.

"Master, I recommend you looking through that."

Gabriel slowly opened his eyes and peered at the large brown book Nooroo was pointing at. He reached down and picked it up, coughing slightly as the dust that had collected over the years dispersed into the air. He gingerly opened the pages, and his entire world changed in an instant.

Hope was indeed an even stranger invention. One that comes out of nowhere, when you least expect it.

. . .

Love _and_ hope however. That was a different story.

For Gabriel Agreste, love and hope were maybe the two greatest inventions of them all.

He rolled the butterfly pendant in his hands twice and stared eagerly at the large brown book in front of him. He had spent weeks transcribing every word, days understanding what they meant, and hours formulating what he needed to do. He was ready. He was prepared. He was going to find her.

"Nooroo. Tell me again."

"According to legend, whoever controls the earrings of the Ladybug which can grant you the power of Creation, and the ring of the Black Cat which can grant you the power of Destruction, will achieve absolute power."

Yes. With his miraculous, and its power to create champions, he could finally get the love of his life back. All he needed was that absolute power!

"Master, I don't think you should do this though," Nooroo said shakingly looking between the book and his Master. "The miraculous are meant for the good of mankind. Not for what you're suggesting?"

Gabriel chuckled. He moved to the back of his office and looked up at the gold portrait of his wife. "I will do what I must to get back the one I love, Nooroo."

He reached up the portrait and pressed two hidden buttons. The floor beneath him fell open and he closed his eyes.

Gabriel hadn't felt hope in his life since her disappearance. But now? He let out a small smile as he looked around his butterfly filled lair.

"Nooroo, dark wings rise!"

All he had to do was take the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses, then the love of his life would return. Hope for the return of his love consumed his world as he closed his fist on a white butterfly.

Today would be the day. After all, when it comes to luring superheroes what could be better than creating super villains?

"Fly away my little akuma. And evilize him!"

. . .

A/N: Hopefully you enjoyed this one-shot and my Quote challenge entry! This was a rather difficult quote to work with, if I'm being completely honest. I was going to use Marinette and Adrien obviously, when I first read it, but I couldn't help but remember Gabriel and Emilie and this one-shot sort of just happened. :) This was my first Gabriel/Hawk Moth centered fanfic. And I'm turning into a big fan. ;) Thank you for reading again!


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